Synchronizing gun control



June 3 1924. 1,496,749

' H. A. SUTTON SYNGHRONIZING GUN CONTROL I v Filed May 11, 1923 2 Sheets Sheet 1 1 INVENTOR H avg/A.- Sutton =+ATTORNEY june 3 1924. 1,496,749

H. A. SUTTON I SYNCHRONIZING GUN- CONTROL Filed May 1 1; 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR I AS i'torz BY H any a Patented June 3, 1924.

UNITED STATESv HARRY A. SUTTON, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

SYNOHRONIZING GUN CONTROL.

Application filed May 11, 1923.

To all whom it may concern.

Be .it known that I, HARRY A. SUTTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Synchronizing Gun Controls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to synchronizing gun controls and is an improvement upon the control at present in use in which the trigger of a machine gun is synchronously operated with the speed of the engine.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved impulse generating unit in which an impulse lever is operated by the impulse cam and in which a bell crank lever is adapted to be moved into and out of position between the cam and the impulse leverso as to serve as an idler while transmitting impulses to the impulse lever.

Other objects will be more fully set forth in the attached specification and claims. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the impulse generator and operating lever and showing the impulse generator geared to the airplane engine shaft.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section of the hand operated control cable as mounted on the airplane control lever.

Fig. 4: is a vertical section through part of the impulse generator.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 6 represents a trigger motor which is mounted on the machine gun.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, the bevel gear 1 which is driven from the engine shaft of an airplane, is geared to a vertical shaft 2 by means of bevel gear 3. This shaft 2 is held by suitable bearings in a supporting housing 4 and is provided at its upper end with a cam 5.

' This cam which is fixed to and rotates with the shaft 2, is provided with two projections 6-6 which are adapted to generate impulses which are transmitted in a manner which will now be described.

A bell crank lever 6 is pivoted by means of a pin 7 on the main supporting housing and the vertically and downwardly ex- Serial No. 638,283.

tending leg of this bell crank lever or rocker arm is positioned close to the cam 6. The horizontally extending leg of the rocker arm 6 is connected to a vertically extending flexible wire 8 which extends through a tubi. 1'

ing 9 to the trigger motor 10 which is mounted on the machine gun, the flexible wire 8 being connected to a lever 11 pivoted at 12 on the trigger motor so that when the rocker arm 6 pulls downwardly on the wire 8,

the lever 11 will be moved to the left against the tension of a spring (not shown) within the trigger motor. The motion of this lever 11 operates the trigger to fire the gun.

A second bell crank lever 13 consists ofa horizontally extending rod 14 and a downwardly extending curved portion 15. This bell crank lever is adapted to rotateabout the axis of the horizontal portion 14 by means of suitable ball bearings 16 and the bell crank lever is also permitted to pivot about a horizontal axis so that the horizontal portion 14 can move downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 5 to a limited degree. bell crank is provided for by means of a special ball bearing having a curved race, in order to allow this. pivotal movement as well as a rotational one.

The downwardy extending portion 15 of the bell crank lever 13 is provided with an enlargement 17 and with a tapering tail portion 18. When the lever is in the position as shown in the Fig. 5, the enlarged portion 17 is positioned between the cam 5 and rocker arm 6 and serves as an idler in transmitting impulses from the generator cam 5 to the rocker arm 6. WVhen, however, the bell crank lever 13 has been moved counter-clockwise from this position, the.

enlarged portion 17 is moved out of this position and the tapering tail portion 18 is now moved between the cam and the rocker arm 6; but this tapering tail portion is not sufficiently wide to transmit motions of.

This pivotal motion of the crank the end of this horizontal arm 14: of thebell crank lever and extends into a slot 21 in a vertically reciprocating member or plunger 22. This plunger is adapted to move vertically within a hole 23 in the housing 4. The plunger 22 is connectedto a flexible cable or wire 24c and is normally urged downwardly by means of spring 25 acting upon the upper end of this plunger. The cable or wire 24 is connected as shown in Fig. 3 to a hand lever 26 which bears against a projection 29 on a bracket '28 which is suitably mounted upon the airplane control lever as shown in Fig. 3. The control cable 24: is connected to the lever 26 by means of a pin 27 so that as the hand lever 26v is moved to the dotted position, a pull will be exerted upon a cable 24 to raise the plunger and cause the enlarged projection on the bell crank lever 13 to be moved into its impulse transmitting position. When the hand lever'is released,- the spring 25 returns the bell crank lever and the handle 26 to their norm'al'positions. I claim: 1. In a synchronizing gun control, in combination, a housing, an' impulse generator cam mounted in said housing, an impulse lever operated by said cam and adapted to be connected to a trigger operating mechani sm,'a bell crank lever mounted on said housing, an enlarged'projection on said bell crank lever, and a manually operated device connected to said bell crank lever so as to move the said enlarged'portion into position ,between the cam and the impulse lever. 2. In a synchronizing gun control, in com bination, a housing, an impulse generator cam mounted in said housing, an impulse lever operated by said cam and adapted to be connected to a trigger operating mechanism, a bell' crank lever mounted on said housing, an enlarged projection on said bell lever, a manually operated device connected to said bell crank lever so as to move the said enlarged portion into p'osition between the cam and the impulse lever so" as a bell crank lever serves as an idler in transmitting impulses from said dam to said impulse lever, and yielding means normally trigger motor for operating the same, a bell crank operating lever pivot-ally mounted on the housing, an enlarged portion on said operating lever, and a manually operated device connected to said operating lever so as to move the said enlarged portion into or out of position'between the cam and the impulse lever.

4. In a synchronizing gun control, in combination, a housing, a rotary impulse generator shaft adapted to be driven from the engine, a cam on said shaft, a bell era-1 1k operating lever movably mounted on said housing so as to be movable about a plurality of axes, an enlarged portion on said operating lever, a reciprocating member oonnected to one end of the said operating lever, a spring means normally urging said memher in one direction, a manually operated device connected to said member to operate the member against tension of the spring, said member when operated by the manually operated device adapted to move the enlarged portion of the operating lever into position between the cam and an impulse lever to serve as an idler in transmitting motion between the cam and theimpulse lever, andfa flexible connection between the impulse lever and trigger operating mechanlsm.

5. In a synchronizing gun control, in combination, a housing, an impulse generator cam mounted in said housing, an impulse lever operated by said cam and adapted to be connected to a trigger operating mechanism, a second lever mounted on said'housing', a stopon the housing, an enlarged projection on said second lever, and a manually operated device connected to said second lever so as to move the said enlargedv portion into position between the cam and the impulse lever or to move the enlarged projection against said stop to hold the end o the said second lever away from the cam.

Intestimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HARRY A. SUTTON. 

